The Need for a Hero
by aerisbolt
Summary: One conversation can say all kinds of things, including the truth. My first attempt at an angst themed story. ReTi Oneshot. Reviews are appreciated.


_Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at angst and drama. Feedback is very much appreciated. Disclaimer is as follows, I do not own Tifa, Reno, or Cloud. I do not own FFVII; they all belong to Square Enix._

The Need of a Hero

Tifa sat on the couch wearily. The light in the room was dim and you could hear the sheets of rain coming down outside. It truly appeared lately that the weather reflected all the events that were going on around her and those closest to her. Tifa stared at her lover, knowing what his stance meant all too well. They had been here before, and the subject matter was always the same.

"I'm sorry I've pushed you away Reno, it was not my intention." His scoff made her hesitate for a moment but the she pressed on.

"It's just when Cloud...I always saw him as invincible, even with all of his faults, with everything he has been able to defeat."

Her resolve was wavering now as she thought about her friend, the man who had been through so much, who never saw himself as a hero, but the world did.

"But here he is near death and there is no miracle cure, I still don't know why." Her voice faded as she became lost in thought. After a few moments she snapped out of her trance and forced herself to continue.

"Why she cured him then and not now."

Anger started to swell up as she thought about her dead friend, wanting to blame her for not deterring what was happening to him. Then she shook her head violently as if to force the thoughts out of her head. Aeris could not be the scapegoat in this, she is a powerful alley and furthermore a comfort to all of them, knowing she is watching over them. And just as much as they did not expect her to stop all the evil on the planet, she should not be expected to always save everyone who comes in contact with it, even if it was Cloud. Aeris couldn't always be the answer to the problems Tifa and her friends faced. _Forgive me Aeris, _Tifa said silently to herself.

"But in any case I don't know what the people would do without him there to protect them; I don't know what I would do." The tears came now as she finished that sentence. The words that came from her lover however were not words of comfort.

"God Tifa, even now you still want a hero to take care of you, to protect you." Reno's tone was cold and uncomfortably casual.

"And you know I am not that guy." It was one sentence but the statement of it was profound.

"I have innocent blood on my hands, I've killed for pleasure, hell I still do." His voice became progressively louder.

"But that doesn't fit into your fantasy and deep down that is what you want, a man with the label of hero because although he kills it is only to protect the innocent and even then he still hates to have to kill at all." Reno's body was completely tense now.

"I am not in love with Cloud if that is what you are implying."

Tifa was completely exasperated by how he was acting. How could he be so cold, so insecure? She loved him, she had never thought she would be able to feel the way she did for Reno. Thanks to Reno she was able to discover what it was like to be truly loved and she would be eternally grateful to him for that. But he had to know that, she had said it to him before, and she had shown him with her actions.

_I have shown him with my actions _she forcefully told herself. No, he understood she needed to be by Cloud's side while he was fighting death, encouraging him to live, stating how much everyone needed him here. _How much she had needed him_ _here_.

True she had not left Cloud's side almost at all, even now they were at the hospital but Reno had brought her into a family waiting room to talk to her. Actually now that she thought about it this was the longest they had been alone together in over a month. At first he hadn't pushed her to come home, he had faithfully come to the hospital each day after work, working longer hours to help support the lost income she would have from tips from the bar. He was there to hold her when she cried, the person to yell at when she needed to vent, and the voice of reason to remind and even force her to take a break to eat every once in a while.

Yes she was neglecting herself and her other friends, but wasn't her loyalty one of the things he loved most about her? He had told her so. And she would be doing the same if it was him and he knew that, didn't he?

It was at that moment the emotions of panic and fear engulfed her. _No Tifa that's the problem, he doesn't know. You always keep what you are feeling inside._ She had tried to work on it, and she had gotten better, but since Cloud... _Oh Shiva_, Tifa whispered. She had only felt this scared a few other times in her life and each of those times she had lost something dear to her. But this time she could save what threatened to be taken away. She could save her relationship with Reno, she was a fighter by nature and she would kick and claw until she saved this and made it up to him. Everything would be alright...then he spoke again.

"No Lockheart, it's worse than that." Reno's eyes were glistening, flashing emotions of pain, regret, and anger.

"You are in love with the idea of him, of what he could be, should be."

His voice was shaking now but with what emotion Tifa couldn't tell, _he called me Lockheart, and with the same tone as when we were enemies. _Out of all the times she faced death, with the way her heart was bursting she knew this was truly the closest to death she had ever been, and she knew a large part of her was dying inside right now.

"I hope you find your hero Lockheart, because if not you will be left wanting and inevitably disappointed your whole life."

He turned and walked out the door and for Tifa it seemed like slow motion. If ever she was in need of a hero it was now, but she knew he had just left through that door.


End file.
